Mayo Clinic reflects on two years of COVID-19

(ABC 6 News) – Friday marks two years since the first travel-related COVID-19 case was reported in the United States.

Medical experts at Mayo Clinic say in that time, treatment and prevention of the disease have evolved and improved despite numbers spiking again and the emergence of the omicron variant.

"We’re in a very different position than we were two years ago. We’ve got lots of capabilities and tools at our disposal to manage through this, primarily vaccines and boosters of course. We have to encourage everyone in our community to seek vaccines, to seek boosters because we know this is safe," said Dr. Conor Loftus, a gastroenterologist and family physician at the Mayo Clinic.

Though the nation isn’t out of the COVID-19 pandemic yet. Dr. Loftus does see light at the end of the tunnel with the continuation of simple measures such as vaccination and mask-wearing.